One pick might've addressed two positions

November 25, 2014

by

Kevin from Tulelake, CA

Vic, when the Pats traded for the 25th pick, I thought they came out and said they were going to select Hightower. Was there anything to stop, say, the Steelers from grabbing him first, as the Patriots said who they were picking before their actual pick?

The draft is like my favorite restaurant: no reservations; it’s first come, first serve.

Nick from Water Mill, NY

Who, in your opinion, is the best blind side OT in this year’s draft?

Clearly, it’s Matt Kalil. He is one of only two tackles taken in the first round. The other one, Riley Reiff, wasn’t selected until pick 23, and I question whether Reiff would be a first-round pick in a normal year. Two is the fewest tackles taken in the first round since 2006, when D’Brickashaw Ferguson was the only tackle picked in the first round. Seven tackles were picked in the second round on Friday in a get-them-while-you-can run on tackles. Bobby Massie and Zebrie Sanders are still on the board, but that’ll be about it for what is a weak tackle class.

Paul from Malden, MA

Vic, do you think these draft picks by Ted Thompson in this year’s draft show how stupid BAP draft thinking is? He picked for need and that’s what you have to do.

I’ve decided it’s impossible to successfully communicate the philosophy of BAP drafting, therefore, next year I’m not even going to try. What you saw on Friday, Paul, is the consummate example of BAP drafting. Yes, the picks addressed need, but it did that by moving to where the players fit, instead of selecting a player at a position of need where the team fit but the player didn’t. It’s a leaguewide move, except for at least one team.

Matt from New Berlin, WI

I'm a big fan of the idea the Packers could get Lamar Miller from Miami. If he ends up falling to the Packers in the fourth round, could you see them trying to nab him? I also saw earlier projections of Lamar Miller being a second-round pick. Why do you think he fell so far?

He ran a 4.37 at the combine and that was expected to jump his stock, possibly even into round one, but something is holding him back and I don’t know what it is. He’s got size and a Miami pedigree. Miller is part of a running back group I think has some depth left in it as we head into day three. I think running back has largely been untapped, and I think guard and wide receiver also have depth left to them. Smart drafters pick from the top of their board, instead of trying to catch lightning in a bottle from the bottom of their board, and I think those three positions dominate the top of what’s left of the board.

Jacob from Holloman AFB, NM

Vic, what’s your take on Jerel Worthy? I think the Packers got another essential piece to improving their defense. What’s your take?

In Mike Trgovac’s press conference following the selection of Worthy, he addressed Jon Gruden’s criticism of Worthy by explaining that he thinks Michigan State put in a different defensive package for the bowl game, and that it called for Worthy to get less playing time. What we know about Worthy is that he has all of the measurables. He has the talent to be a force in professional football. He also will have a coach who will get that talent out of him. Worthy was a 4-3, penetrate-and-disrupt defensive tackle, and now he’s going to be asked to play down the middle of blockers as a 3-4 end. That means he’s going to have to learn to become a two-gapper. When he learns that role, the Packers will have a guy who can keep blockers off the outside linebackers, which is the primary role of a 3-4 end, and a guy who can, on occasion, give the Packers the inside rush they didn’t get from their front three last season. First and foremost, however, is learning to be a two-gapper.

Roddy from Northridge, CA

Do you think the Hayward pick can potentially free up Woodson for a safety role?

Yes, I do. I’ve covered a lot of cornerbacks who made the move to safety late in their careers. It was a move that allowed those players to extend the effectiveness of their careers. I can’t imagine any player more naturally suited to make that move than Charles Woodson. He’s instinctive, tackles well, plays the ball in the air as a true centerfielder, and catches the ball as you would expect of a wide receiver. Before he can make that move, however, you have to replace him. If Casey Hayward or Davon House, for example, can do that, then the Packers may have addressed two positions by drafting for one.

Paul from De Pere, WI

Has Tony Pauline seen our draft board? Or are we using his board? Perry and Worthy; he called them both.

That’s why I say Tony’s the best in the business. We’re lucky to have him at packers.com.

Chris from Madison, WI

What was it you said about speed on defense again?

You have to have it. The Packers didn’t have it last season; they do now, provided these first three picks can become immediate contributors. It’s a speed game and it’s a young man’s game, and the Packers just got faster and younger. Fast and young are great things to be.

Zac from Madison, WI

Will the Packers use a draft pick to fill Collins’ void?

Yes, and I have a feeling it’s a pick that was made in 1998 by another team.

Nick from Pensacola, FL

I read an article on nfl.com about Jermichael Finley tweeting that he didn't know who first-round pick Nick Perry was. Do players get reprimanded by the team for putting things on social media that disgrace the organization? Not saying Finley's remarks were disgraceful, but what was the point of even commenting on Twitter?

Why does everyone jump on every little thing Finley says? He was just telling the truth; I doubt Finley stays awake at night reading Tony Pauline’s draft reports. When I arrived in Green Bay, I got the idea from listening to people talk that Finley was a guy with his own agenda. What I’ve come to realize is that he’s just a fun-loving guy that likes to say hello, laugh and engage others in conversation. He’s different and I like different. We have all the boring, politically correct people we need. We need more people like Finley, which is to say people who aren’t afraid to speak. I enjoy his personality. I didn’t take advantage of it often enough last season, but I’m going to do it this year. I think he’s fun. Hey, the truth is the pure defense. He didn’t know who Nick Perry is. So what? Why is that a story?

Jeremy from Franksville, WI

Is it possible a player like Perry was negatively affected by his outstanding combine? It seems to me he had a first-round grade based on the film, but that people started lowering him on their board because he had “Vernon Gholston” success at the combine.

I think the combine shot him up but it couldn’t completely overcome the fact that he was miscast as a hand-on-the-ground player, but that was probably because USC wanted to get its best players on the field. Hey, they have a lot of them; Clay Matthews had to wait his turn. Imagine that. I think the Packers picked a player who’s going to move to where he truly belongs and, as a result, he’s going to become a better player.

Jeff from Colorado Springs, CO

Vic, I think it’s ridiculous to give grades to a certain team's draft pick. How does anyone know what that player will turn into? What grade do you think the Patriots would have received if Tom Brady was a first-round pick?

Why is to so important to be right? The fun of the draft is the divergence of opinion it creates. I like it when Mel Kiper is wrong. I like it when Mel Kiper is right and everybody else is wrong. My old radio buddy, Jeff Lageman, is a pick Kiper ripped when the Jets drafted Jeff in the first round. It’s a memorable draft moment. The picks on which everybody agrees are long forgotten, but we remember the Kiper, Bill Tobin moments. “Who the hell is Mel Kiper?” Tobin said. It still makes me laugh. Hey, it’s the draft; it’s all about having fun. I love it.

Brian from Milwaukee, WI

I still think your arrogance is not fitting for the state of Wisconsin. You are a gutless man. Thanks for the ever growing decay of this site.